75 
N I C O T I A N A. 
Stem fomewhat branched, from one to two feet, or more, 
in height. Radical leaves roundifh-ovate, or obovate ; 
thofe on the ftem lanceolate, dilated, and clafping the Hem 
at their bafe; all wavy, or fomewhat crifped at the margin. 
Flowers racemofe, the lower ones accompanied by gradu¬ 
ally diminifhed leaves; corolla of a dull purple, falver- 
Ihaped. 
7. Nicotiana ruftica, common or Englifh tobacco : 
leaves petioled, ovate, quite entire ; flowers obtul'e. The 
ftalks of this feldom rife more than three feet high. 
Leaves fmooth, alternate, upon (hort footltalks. Flowers 
in fmall loofe bunches on the top of the ftalks, of an her¬ 
baceous yellow colour, appearing in July, and fucceeded 
by roundifh capfules, ripening in the autumn. This is 
commonly called Englilh tobacco from its having been the 
firft introduced here, and being much more hardy than 
the other forts, infomuch that it has become a weed in 
many places. It came, however, originally from America 
by the name of petum. Sir Walter Raleigh, on his return 
from America, is faid to have firft introduced the fmoking 
of tobacco into England. In the houfe wherein he lived 
at Iflington, is his arms, with a tobacco-plant on the top 
of thefhield. Parkinfon fays, that, although this kind of 
tobacco be not thought fo ftrong or fweet for fuch as take 
it by the pipe, yet he had known fir WalterRaleigh, when 
he w r as prifoner in the Tower, make choice of this fort, to 
make good tobacco of, which he knew fo rightly to cure, 
as they call it, that it was held almoft as good as that which 
came from the Indies, and fully as good as any other made 
in England. It was cultivated in 1731 by Mr. Miller. 
| 3 . N. rugofa, of Miller, rifes with a ftrong ftalk near 
four feet high ; the leaves are (haped like thofe of the 
preceding, but are greatly furrowed on their furface, and 
near twice the fize, of a darker green, and on longer foot- 
ftalks. The flow'ers are of the fame lhape, but larger. 
It is remarkable that tobacco has prevailed over the ori¬ 
ginal name petum in all the European languages, with 
very little variation, and even in Tartary, Japan, &c. 
Tobacco is derived from the ifland of Tobago. Petume 
is the Brafilian name. 
It is worthy of remark, that, a few days after the falling 
of one of the towers of that very ancient building Kirk- 
ftall-abbey, (which happened in Jan. 1779,) there were 
difcovered, imbedded in the mortar of the fallen fragments, 
feveral little fmoking-pipes, fuch as were ufed in the reign 
of James I. for tobacco ; a proof that, prior to the intro- 
dudtion of that plant from America, the praftice of in¬ 
haling the fmoke of fome indigenous vegetable prevailed 
in England. Kirkftall-abbey was erefted about the year 
1147, four hundred years before tobacco was known in 
Europe. Whitaker's Loidis and Elmente. 
8- Nicotiana paniculata, or panicled tobacco : leaves 
petioled, cordate, quite entire ; flowers panicled, blunt, 
ciub-fhaped. The ftalk of the panicled tobacco rifes 
more than three feet high, dividing upwards into many 
fmaller panicled branches, which are round and a little 
hairy. Leaves about four inches long, and three broad, 
upon pretty long footftalks. Flowers in loofe panicles at 
the ends of the branches : tube about an inch long, and 
club-fhaped ; brim flightly cut into nine obtufe reflex 
fegments; they are of a yellowifh green colour, and are 
fucceeded by roundilli capfules. Linneeus remarks, that 
it differs from N. ruftica in having a more tender, higher, 
panicled, ftalk; narrower corollas, with a very (hort blunt 
border, and a long club-lhaped tube ; and acute calyxes 
and capfules. Native of Peru. Cultivated in 1739, by 
Mr. Miller; who fays that it was found in the Valley of 
Lima by Feuillee, in 1710 ; and that (ince that the feeds 
were fent from Peru by the younger juflieu to Paris. 
9. Nicotiana urens, or Hinging tobacco : leaves cor¬ 
date, crenate ; racemes recurved ; ftem hifpid, (tinging. 
Fructification in racemes directed one way and revoiute, 
with bell-(haped corollas, and cordate leaves like thofe of 
N. ruftica, but crenate, and the whole tree prickly. Na¬ 
tive qf South America. 
10. Nicotiana glutinofa, or clammy-leaved tobacco: 
leaves petioled, cordate, quite entire ; flowers in racemes, 
pointing one way, and ringent. Stalk round, near four 
feet high, fending out two or three branches from the 
lower part. Leaves large, hea-rt-(haped, and a little 
waved, very clammy, Handing upon long footftalks. 
Flowers in loofe fpikes at the top of the ftalk, of a dull 
purple colour : calyx unequally cut, one of the fegments 
being twice the fize of the others. The feeds were fent 
from Peru with the former by the younger Juflieu. Cul¬ 
tivated by Mr. Miller in 1759. This and the preceding 
flower from July to September. 
11. Nicotiana pufiila, or primrofe-leaved tobacco; 
leaves oblong-oval, radical; flowers in racemes,,acute. 
This has a pretty thick taper root, which (trikes deep in 
the ground ; at the top of it come out fix or feven leaves, 
fpreading on the ground, about the fize of thofe of the 
common primrofe, but a deeper green. The ftalk rifes 
about a foot high, branching into three or four divifions, 
at each of which is placed one fmall leaf. The branches 
are terminated by a loofe fpike of flowers, which are fmall, 
and of a yellowilh green colour. This fort was difcovered 
by Dr. Houltoun at Vera Cruz, and he fent the feeds to 
England. 
12. Tabacum minimum, (Ger. Em. 358.) appears to 
be another fpecies, hitherto unfettled, with a branched 
leafy ftem, a fpan high ; leaves ovate, on footftalks, op- 
pofite ; and lialked, acute, greeniftr-yellow, flowers:— 
The N. minima of Molina, (Poir. in Lam. Di£l. iv. 481.) 
is probably another fpecies, or perhaps the fame. 
Propagation and Culture. All the forts, except N° 7 
and 8, require the lame culture, and are too tender to 
grow from feeds fown in the full ground to any degree of 
perfection in this country, but muft be railed on a hot¬ 
bed. The feeds muft be fown upon-a moderate hot-bed in 
March ; and, when the plants are come up fit to remove, 
they (hould be tranfplanted into a new hot-bed of mode¬ 
rate warmth, about four inches afunder each way, ob- 
ferving to water and (hade them until they have taken 
root; after which let them have air in proportion to the 
warmth of the feafon, otherwife they will draw up very 
weak, and be thereby lefs capable of enduring the open 
air; water them frequently, but, while they are very 
young, it (hould not be given to them in too great quan¬ 
tities; though, when they are pretty ftrong, they will re¬ 
quire to have it often, and in plenty. In this bed the 
plants (hould remain until the middle of May, by which 
time, if they have fucceeded well, they will touch each 
other, therefore they (hould be inured to bear the open 
air gradually ; after which they muft be taken up care¬ 
fully, preferving a large ball of earth to each root, and 
planted into a rich light foil, in rows four feet afunder, 
and the plants three feet diftance in the rows, obferving 
to water them until they have taken root; after which 
they will require no farther care (but only to keep them 
clean from weeds) until the plants begin to fhow their 
flower-ftems ; at which time cut oft' the tops of them, that 
their leaves may be the better nouriflted, whereby they 
will be rendered larger, and of a thicker fubftance. In 
Auguft they will be full grown, when they (hould be cut 
for ufe; for, if they are permitted to (land longer, their 
under leaves will begin to decay. This is to be under- 
ftood of fuch plants as are propagated for ufe; but thofe 
plants which are defigned for ornament, (hould be planted 
in the borders of the pleafure-garden, and permitted to 
grow their full height, where they will continue flowering 
from July till the froft puts a flop to them. 
The 7th and 8th (orts are very hardy, and may be pro¬ 
pagated by flowing their feeds in March, upon a bed of 
light earth, whence they may be tranfplanted into any 
part of the garden, and will thrive without farther care. 
The three laft, being fomewhat more tender than the 
others, (hould be fown early in the fpring on a hot-bed. 
When the plants come up, tranfplant them on another* • 
moderate hot-bed, water them duly, and give them a large 
(hare * 
